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BARCELONA, Spain— Jan 11, 2019—The Spanish government’s bid to pass a national budget is doomed unless it bends to the demands of Catalonia’s separatists for a referendum on secession, the leader of the wealthy northeastern region says.

Catalan regional president Quim Torra told The Associated Press in an interview that the representatives of Catalonia’s separatist parties in Madrid’s national parliament “have made it very clear that they will vote against the budget because there has been no movement by the Spanish national government toward what we are demanding.”

The passing of a budget would boost the chances for the minority government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to see out this legislative term through 2020.